Kristine A. Harger
2008 CCWP ISI
Teaching Vignette Redux
July 25, 2008
Two days from the end of the Fall 2007 semester, I tried something new in my junior/senior English class. I had been teaching Macbeth, trying to get my college-bound students to grasp the universal themes in the play. We’d been trudging along and they – and I – needed a break. It was Friday, and I needed to conduct an exam review on Monday. What could I do this day that was still academic?
I looked through my copy of Shakespeare Set Free (a tremendous resource), and found a reading-in-the-round activity for the infamous “Double double, boil and bubble” scene. I’d been talking about Shakespeare’s language in a series of teachable moments sandwiched between plot, character and theme discussions, so this fit in.
The activity called for some students to read, while others provided sound effects on cue – wind, cat and wolf. We read it through a couple of times without the sound effects so that the “witches” could get comfortable with their parts, and also to discuss the disgusting ingredients the witches were using. Then we did the first read-through with effects. A few more practice rounds, and we had it. It sounded creepy. It sounded cool. The passage had come alive to the students.
And then the bell rang.
I look back on that day now and see the potential for a lesson on word play, using the scene as a model for students’ own writing. This is what I envision:
Students begin class by thinking about recipes for food, candy or drinks. What is a food that would probably turn our stomachs if we knew how it was made?
Then we would read the “Double, double” scene as reader’s theatre (as discussed above). Students would point out literary elements that they noticed. We would chart these together, give the literary elements names (alliteration, imagery, etc.), and discuss why Shakespeare used them.
Then I would go back to the list of foods. We would choose one and complete a shared writing, mimicking the “Double, double” scene. Then students would work in pairs to write their own scenes, adding in parts and sound effects, to be performed by the whole class.
This re-worked lesson is based on a demonstration lesson presented by a fellow CCWP ISI participant. It incorporates many of the best practices for teaching writing that I have read about and discussed here, including modeling, student choice, shared writing, group work, and writing for an authentic purpose (to entertain each other). The lesson incorporates the teaching of literary techniques as part of a lesson about writing to entertain. It is whole-to-part teaching, which Regie Routman promotes in Writing Essentials.
It could not be completed in one class period, but the extra time would be worth it because it would engage students. The piece could also be taken through the revision and editing process. Some extensions might include love poems and odes.
2008 CCWP ISI
Teaching Vignette Redux
July 25, 2008
Two days from the end of the Fall 2007 semester, I tried something new in my junior/senior English class. I had been teaching Macbeth, trying to get my college-bound students to grasp the universal themes in the play. We’d been trudging along and they – and I – needed a break. It was Friday, and I needed to conduct an exam review on Monday. What could I do this day that was still academic?
I looked through my copy of Shakespeare Set Free (a tremendous resource), and found a reading-in-the-round activity for the infamous “Double double, boil and bubble” scene. I’d been talking about Shakespeare’s language in a series of teachable moments sandwiched between plot, character and theme discussions, so this fit in.
The activity called for some students to read, while others provided sound effects on cue – wind, cat and wolf. We read it through a couple of times without the sound effects so that the “witches” could get comfortable with their parts, and also to discuss the disgusting ingredients the witches were using. Then we did the first read-through with effects. A few more practice rounds, and we had it. It sounded creepy. It sounded cool. The passage had come alive to the students.
And then the bell rang.
I look back on that day now and see the potential for a lesson on word play, using the scene as a model for students’ own writing. This is what I envision:
Students begin class by thinking about recipes for food, candy or drinks. What is a food that would probably turn our stomachs if we knew how it was made?
Then we would read the “Double, double” scene as reader’s theatre (as discussed above). Students would point out literary elements that they noticed. We would chart these together, give the literary elements names (alliteration, imagery, etc.), and discuss why Shakespeare used them.
Then I would go back to the list of foods. We would choose one and complete a shared writing, mimicking the “Double, double” scene. Then students would work in pairs to write their own scenes, adding in parts and sound effects, to be performed by the whole class.
This re-worked lesson is based on a demonstration lesson presented by a fellow CCWP ISI participant. It incorporates many of the best practices for teaching writing that I have read about and discussed here, including modeling, student choice, shared writing, group work, and writing for an authentic purpose (to entertain each other). The lesson incorporates the teaching of literary techniques as part of a lesson about writing to entertain. It is whole-to-part teaching, which Regie Routman promotes in Writing Essentials.
It could not be completed in one class period, but the extra time would be worth it because it would engage students. The piece could also be taken through the revision and editing process. Some extensions might include love poems and odes.